Educators warned to watch their online posts

Eileen FitzGerald

Updated 8:57 pm, Saturday, May 11, 2013

School districts around the state and country are in various stages of adopting policies to guide their employees in what's appropriate to post on their personal social media sites while some staff have felt the heat from the flip posts they've made already.
Photo: Till Jacket, Getty Images/Photononstop RM

School districts around the state and country are in various stages...

How about posting vacation pictures taken after calling in sick for work?

School districts around the state and country are in various stages of adopting policies to guide their employees in what's appropriate to post on their personal social media sites while some staff have felt the heat from the flip posts they've made already.

Brookfield is completing its regulations to go with its new policy on the issue. Stamford schools adopted a policy in May of 2012.

The policy the Danbury school district adopted in 2010 has resulted in a number of disciplinary actions against staff, ranging from a conversation with human resources staff to a suspension.

Brookfield Schools Superintendent Anthony Bivona said there was not a specific incident that caused the creation of the policy the board adopted in March. But with the proliferation of social media, it seemed like a good time.

"All teachers have to follow the professional code of conduct, and they understand that. But, from my perspective, there are inherent risks in communicating with students outside the district's (technology) tools," Bivona said. "They can be misinterpreted and put someone in a compromising position."

The district won't monitor personal sites, he said, but if a community member brought a staff's post to his attention, he would have to investigate.

While some may argue that what is done in personal time, should remain personal, that is not quite accurate, Bivona said.

"The bottom line is that we expect people to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner in and out of school," Bivona said. "They do represent the schools whether they are working or not. They are a direct reflection of who the school hires."

The policy notes that the board will regulate personal use of social media when it "interferes with the work of school districts, creates a hostile work environment, breaches the confidentiality of school employees, harms the good will and reputation of the school districts in the community," for instance.